Migrants have largely departed from the Darien Gap, yet an ecological disaster persists in their wake.

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JUNGLE JUNK: The Dirty Truth About Panama's Darien Gap

VILLA CALETA, Panama – For eons, the Comarca Embera people have laughed and bathed within the muddy, turbulent waters of the Turquesa River, a mysterious, overgrown stream bubbling from the uncharted recesses of the Darien Gap. They've learned to expect changes in the current – the heavy rainy season brings silt, mud, and grime along with the rushing river. But now, they're witnessing a transformation unlike any other, in the wake of a mass migration: tons of trash, leaking gas cans, and crud filling the Turquesa, polluting their once pristine waters and leaving their delicate ecosystem in peril.

A torrent of 1.2 million vulnerable souls surged through the Darien Gap, a remote no-man's land nestled along the Colombia-Panama border, transforming it from a forgotten wilderness into the epicenter of 2021's migratory whirlwind. Yet today, the screaming jungle falls silent, the howling winds whispering tales of woe to any who listen. Residents of Villa Caleta still dare not bathe in the foaming, filthy river as memories of fish stinking of gasoline haunt them and children develop vicious rashes and mysterious skin ailments from bathing in the toxic soup.

Further into the darkness, the jungle's secrets are guarded by criminal groups that carved out a living from the chaos – their dastardly deeds tarnishing the once-pure landscape. The sinister forces exploit the area for illegal gold mining and deforestation, ensuring that the poisonous scars of their sheer greed and malice linger like a foul stench.

Panamanian authorities and the once bustling villagers cry out for justice, claiming the global community betrayed them by turning a blind eye to their suffering. "This veracious river is now a sewer," laments Militza Olea, a weary, 43-year-old mother, staring hungrily at the mutilated flesh of her 3-year-old nephew, branded by the river's venomous touch. "Care must be taken, or the consequences will be dire."

A Mountain of Trash, A Hole in the Wallet: Cleaning Up After the Migrants

It's been months since the stampede of humanity plunged into the unblemished rainforest tore asunder – yet the effects of the catastrophic migration remain entrenched in the once-untouched jungles and rivers, casting a long, dark shadow over the locals. With mountains of trash engulfing their lands, authorities estimate an astronomical $12-million price tag for clearing it all.

At the peak of the crisis, groups ventured cautiously along the mucky riverbanks, their feet padding silently as they filtered through the debris: foam sleeping mats, tattered shirts encased in the earth, backpacks, plastic trash, and other ravaged remnants of the fleeing masses.

Panamanian Environmental Minister Juan Carlos Navarro stomps his foot in rage, accusing the American government of abandoning them. At his command, the blame falls upon the outgoing administration of the United States, for the vast majority of migrants who struggled through the Darien Gap were bound for U.S. soil.

Navarro bemoans the lack of financial support and resources from the world, and demands that the powers that be – the wealthy, the privileged – shoulder the responsibility for the mess they have wrought, asserting, "If the United States is culpable for opening its borders, then the United States should pay for the clean-up."

The White House has maintained an icy silence on the matter.

A Filthy River Flows, Valuable Habitats Slip Away: Fecal Coliform and Decomposing Bodies

Beyond the nauseating sight of trash trampled into the contaminated waters, officials say hidden horrors lurk below the waters' murky surface. Government tests reveal alarmingly high levels of coliform bacteria, a telltale sign of human waste, in the Turquesa River.

Indigenous villagers claim that decomposing bodies have washed eerily past their huts, slithering through their tender lives like cold, unwelcome specters. The Disease Control Center has appointed a task force to investigate and contain the pollution, though their efforts remain elusive and unseen.

The locals fear the horrors remain well hidden within the called-off regions of the rainforest, tucked away where travelers dare not tread, lurking like a malevolent force of nature, waiting to strike.

Olea and others in the Indigenous Comarca Embera community, numbering around 12,000 brave souls who thrived deep in the steamy southern jungle, bemoan the dreadful rashes that have plagued them since the migration began its waves of destruction. Doctors and officials have yet to cast a light upon a diagnosis, but the community claims the affliction has only found them since the waters were sullied.

Concerned villagers watch anxiously as their children suffer from the rashes, unable to afford the cost of expensive ointments, which their loved ones fetch from distant towns hours away by boat. The rashes fester and spread, claiming more victims each day.

The villagers cry out in fear as water scarcity threatens their very existence. They are able to drink thanks to a small purification plant installed by aid organizations, but worry that the supply will soon run dry during the summer drought.

"We can't escape the fate that has been dealt to us," Olea wails, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "The river must be cleansed."

As food supplies dwindle, the villagers struggle to survive in this wasteland. Many believe the environmental calamity has only worsened their plight. Cholino de Gracia, a respected leader in the community, weeps bitterly as he describes the fish, once a source of pride and sustenance, tainted with the stench of gasoline.

"We can't catch fish anymore," de Gracia lamented. "The fish we catch still bear the acrid scent of gasoline. We would be tasting a morsel of gasoline whey we swallowed."

Gold and Greed: The Criminal Underbelly of the Darien Gap

As the flood of migrants swept through the Darien Gap, the notorious Colombian criminal group known as the Gulf Clan seized the opportunity to expand its illicit operations deep into the jungle. The murderous gang has long specialized in harvesting cocaine, and illegally mining gold through a process that releases poisonous chemicals into the area.

On the wretched, Colombian side of the Darien Gap, the Gulf Clan has used its newfound power to dominate, revenue from the environmental crimes enriching the organization's coffers. They have taken control of large swaths of jungle, razing the verdant landscape to plant fields of cocaine and carving new roads through the pristine wilderness.

"A sinister shadow has blanketed the jungle," Henry Shuldiner, a seasoned researcher with Insight Crime investigating organized crime in the region, mourns. "The Gulf Clan seeks to expand its foothold in the Darien Gap through a tidal wave of crime."

The Gulf Clan has infiltrated Panama, where their influence extends into federally protected national parks, further despoiling the pristine landscape. In January, authorities arrested 10 Colombians and Panamanians for operating an illegal gold mining operation, uncovering an unsettling trail of mercury and cyanide contamination in their wake.

A Primal Battle: Preserving the Jungle or Surviving the Onslaught?

Navarro pleads for aid in restoring the jungle to its former glory, insisting, "This is a treasure trove of life and diversity." He lays the blame on the thousands who swarmed through the area, disrupting the delicate ecosystem and causing permanent damage.

Yet De Gracia and other villagers question the government's commitment to cleaning up the river, accusing Panama of neglecting the area and disavowing responsibility. Olea's anguished gaze follows her nephew as he frolics on the river's edge, her thoughts consumption by the future: "Without water, there's no life here."

Janetsky and Delacroix pen this article for the Associated Press.

Migrants have largely departed from the Darien Gap, yet an ecological disaster persists in their wake.